WMAF (Massachusetts)

In the summer of 1923 it began rebroadcasting programs originating from station WEAF in New York City, which is generally considered to be first sustained radio network connection in the United States.

WMAF was located on the grounds of "Colonel" Ned Green's Round Hills estate overlooking Buzzard's Bay in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

[4] Colonel Green had an artificial leg that made it difficult to walk, so he used a small electric car, which he equipped with a radio receiver, to travel around the estate grounds.

"[6] Colonel Green contracted to have Western Electric and American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T) staff establish a radio facility for both broadcasting purposes and experimental work.

[2] In September 1922 the initial license for a broadcasting station with the randomly assigned call letters of WMAF was issued to the Round Hills Radio Corporation, transmitting on 360 meters (833 kHz), which was the standard "entertainment" wavelength of the time.

However, Colonel Green was aware that AT&T had run a dedicated telephone line to the New Canaan, Connecticut home of AT&T's president, Harry Thayer, to allow listening to the programming that originated from WEAF, the company's New York City broadcasting station.

Colonel Green contacted AT&T's Manager of Broadcasting, William E. Harkness, to arrange for the installation of a similar connection, to be used for rebroadcasting WEAF's programs over WMAF.

WEAF had been founded by AT&T in 1922 as the country's first station designed for selling airtime to advertisers, although it was still in the process of getting established, and most of its schedule consisted of unsponsored "sustaining" programs.

That fall, WOR became the flagship station for the newly formed Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), which debuted on September 18, a few days before WMAF shut down for the season.

In late October 1930, the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) announced that WMAF was one of fifteen stations that would be deleted at the end of the month if it did not submit an application for license renewal.

[20] On October 31 WMAF was one of six stations reportedly deleted for failing to submit the necessary renewal request,[21] however the official action didn't take place until June 3 of the next year.